ALBUM REVIEW: Jhene Aiko 'Souled Out'

Rating:

For over ten years, Jhene Aiko has been stationed on the border of R&B superstardom, just waiting to place one toe over and break out as the star she so rightly deserves to be. Her new album, “Souled Out” gives off a strong feeling of independence. Throughout the album, her voice stands out with a great amount of soul and passion being its driving force. This is a step away from the norm for Aiko, who has been seen many times in the past merely as a vocalist with a select few lines mixed into other artists songs.

The song style choices for this new album are indeed demanding for Aiko. Her voice prances across the compositions with a high level of confidence and a great deal of control. It seems that Aiko has really tuned into her strengths as a singer, such as perseverance, and has personalised Souled Out to agree with them. The songs give off a strong message to the listener, for example “It’s cool” describes the chase of a faraway love interest, whilst the song “Wading” is overflowing with unreciprocated romances, emotions and contains forsaken, echoing vocals. On “Promises” Aiko speaks to her daughter through the music, she describes how the time she spends with her daughter is constantly hindered by the commitments of being a celebrity, and she reaches out to her deceased older brother, requesting for strength during these hard times.

Aiko has been on a laborious path to reach this new album, but this new material has given listeners confidence that she is indeed on the right path now, that she has begun the path to success and that soon she certainly will be crossing the line into superstardom.

Oliver Hope
@Hope7242O